Salvaging The Wreckage
by Ellana-san
Summary: Claire's grip tightened on the phone. Did she want to go back to a place where she had almost died and about which she still had nightmares? No. Did she have a choice? No.
1. Chapter 1

_I needed to write it I'm soooorry. There is a shorter part 2 that is like… a bonus but this one can stand alone, I think. Also, I realized while proof reading that helicopters when pteranodons are still at large is a very dumb idea. Roll with it, I am dumb myself._

 _ **Salvaging The Wreckage**_

" _Are you absolutely sure you want to go back? You can still change your mind, Claire."_

Claire's grip tightened on the phone. Did she want to go back to a place where she had almost died and about which she still had nightmares? No. Did she have a choice? No.

Well, she _did_ have a choice, Masrani Global had been very clear that she was their first choice but if she wanted out, they could find her another position somewhere else. It wasn't so much a matter of having a choice as a matter of feeling _as if_ she didn't have a choice. The park would reopen, it was inevitable. She would rather be in charge than watch someone else do the same mistakes she had.

"I have to go, Karen." she said firmly. "I will call you later."

Her high heels clicked on the hard concrete as she approached the helicopter, her assistant trailing after her like a lost puppy. She hadn't wanted another assistant in the first place, Zara's death still hurt deeply six months later, but someone higher up had argued that she would have a lot of work and limited resources and that an assistant was necessary and, truth be told, the argument was sound so Andrew had been brought on board. He was fresh up out of school, his suit was brand new, his style too polished, too eager to please and, generally, too enthusiastic for Claire's tastes. He had been shadowing her for a couple of weeks and already she had figured out that even though he was a little scared of her – and not only because the picture of her leading a T-Rex with a flare had remained on the cover of several magazines for weeks – that wouldn't stop him from talking. Andrew talked a lot. Claire had learned to tune him out.

Her eyes narrowed on the helicopter but she didn't let herself hesitate as she sat at the back, automatically buckling the seatbelt and putting on the headphone. She hated flying in a helicopter. Simon Masrani had been fond of the activity and had never hesitated to conduct their business meeting during one of his lessons, she didn't have good recollections of those. She couldn't quite chase the memory of his helicopter crashing into the aviary, it didn't help her relax and neither did Andrew's endless stream of questions.

"Hey, boss." Lowery greeted her from the seat next to the pilot, giving her a thumb-up over his shoulder.

For the first time in what seemed to be forever, her lips stretched into a genuine smile. "Still unable to dress properly for work, I see."

Lowery smiled back, proudly displaying the roaring T-Rex and the tiny red-hair waving a flare on his Tee-shirt. That sort of merchandises had appeared a few weeks after the incident, once people had decided they loved seeing her as the redeemed villain who had led Jurassic World to its doom only to save the day. Masrani Global had been euphoric, happy to have found a positive spin to all this. It was one of the reasons they wanted her back in charge so much : the public trusted her. They had woven the whole thing into such the perfect black and white story, it made her want to scream. She _had_ screamed a lot in the beginning. She used to order some of those merchandises picturing her only to burn them in her mostly decorative fireplace.

"It's a tribute." he told her, as the pilot started the engine. "I will find one for you."

She grabbed the edge of her seat and tried to ignore the roaring of the engine and the unsettling sensation in her stomach.

"I will pass." she snorted. "Status?"

"Main street is secured. As secured as it's going to be for now anyway." Lowery declared, all back to business. "The control room is only waiting for us. Well, _me_ , really."

"You're the computer wizard." Andrew cut in suddenly, looking very much like an overgrown teenager meeting one of his idols.

Claire should have requested someone who wasn't obsessed with dinosaurs and fascinated with the whole Jurassic Park/Jurassic Word parallels. She had every intention to do it after the first day. The problem was that Andrew was _efficient_ and had taken a third of her workload on himself – and that was _a lot_.

"I like the kid." Lowery decided before tapping a few times on the tablet he never went far without. "Owen will meet us at the helipad with his team just in case someone wants to make a snack out of us."

The name made her stomach churn for different reasons and she looked through the window at the blue sea underneath.

"How's that working out by the way?" Lowery asked, very noisily.

"It doesn't." she retorted, sharply enough that he would understand and drop the subject.

She didn't want to talk about that when Andrew was listening to everything with rapt attention. She didn't want to talk about that at all.

She wasn't proud of what she had done.

After what had happened, she had been determined to accept his offer to stick together. She had remained glued to his side once they had reached the shore, she had insisted on them sharing a hotel room… They had spent the night in the same bed, taking turn holding the other when they started to shake and have a panic attack – and there had been _a lot_ of panic attacks that first night. They had remained in that room for three days, following the corporation's orders – they had wanted to handle the press themselves and they wanted to make sure they were both fit to face the storm raging outside, Jurassic World had become a PR nightmare. It had suited Claire. She had still been high with adrenaline, she had still been jumping at every move, she had only felt safe when Owen had been in reach and she hadn't been impatient to face the world.

Fighting and running from dinosaurs was scary.

Facing the fallout of everything that had happened was terrifying.

It wasn't just the press or the outside world she was fearing, it was her own guilt. So she had been happy in that room. She would have been happy to stay there forever, truth be told. And Owen had his own demons to hide from so the arrangement suited him too. They had talked a lot, about stupid things, they had shared stories. It had felt a little like a weird three days long date. She had kissed him at some point, as a promise that they could try something. Eventually.

That fourth night she had woken up in a new sort of panic, adrenaline levels finally back to normal, and had watched Owen sleep for a while, had studied the way he was gripping her in his sleep, and had mentally reviewed everything she knew about relationships started after traumatic events, about co-dependency, and she had convinced herself that this was all a dreadful mistake.

She still didn't know how she had managed to get out of that room without waking him.

He had called and texted her nonstop for almost two days and then it had stopped. She had been back on American soil by then, being forced to sit through countless board meetings that felt more and more like courtrooms. She had wanted to call. A thousand times, she had stopped herself the phone in her hand, her thumb on his name… She was the liability and she didn't want to impose that on him. She wasn't dealing. She had learned to hide it but the wounds ran deep and after a few months it seemed everyone had moved on except for her. She hoped coming back to the island and facing her fears would help.

She hadn't been surprised when the announcement came that they wanted to reopen the park. It wouldn't be for the near future, of course, they needed to respect an acceptable time to allow everyone to grieve the dead, but they were already planning it and, as such, they needed to not only estimate the potential cost but to make sure the dinosaurs weren't hurt and could be recaptured.

She hadn't been surprised either when Owen's name had been the first on the list for that job.

She _had_ been surprised that he accepted. Maybe he shared her motives, maybe he thought, too, that there would be no stopping them so they should be in position to control what was happening because they were responsible and they had a duty to those who died… Maybe the company had promised him that there would be no more Indominus Rexes… InGen had blamed Wu for everything, taking advantage of his mysterious disappearance, and had started a public campaign of rehabilitating themselves in the public eye. Maybe Owen was hoping to find Blue.

He was in charge this time, there would be no Hopkins to force his hand. Well, technically he was under her authority but as far as the actual managing of dinosaurs went, she was happy to let him do as he saw fit.

She hadn't seen him since the night she had left his bed.

And she didn't foresee their reunion going particularly well.

Six month of silence was a lot when you had just sworn to stick together.

"O _kay_." Lowery said, letting the last syllable drawn in a way that let her know he would want the whole story later "First priority is to make sure the padlocks are secured and, if they're not, bring in a crew for the repairs, they're on standby on the mainland."

"First priority is to locate the T-Rex." Claire argued.

"She's been spotted north-east of the island, near the gyrospheres course." Lowery said. "It's not far from the old park. Maybe she wants to go home."

"Don't we all?" she sighed, as she took sight of the island. Her breathing quickened at the familiar sight but she squeezed her fists and told herself she was in perfect control. Everything would be just _fine_. "We will go to the control room first thing and assess the damages."

The helicopter landed swiftly in the center of the helipad. The pilot would remain on the island with them in case they needed an emergency lift out. Lowery was the first to hop out. She heard an exchange of voices as he greeted the security team, more precisely she heard _his_ voice.

"Nice shirt!" Owen laughed.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe, _breathe_. Now wasn't the time for a panic attack. How could he joke about the shirt though?

"Are you alright, Ms Dearing?" Andrew asked, obviously concerned.

"I'm fine." she snapped, as much for his benefits as for hers, and unbuckled the belt before getting out as swiftly as her pencil skirt and heels would allow her.

Owen wasn't wearing the same casual outfit he used to wear. He was wearing black from head to toes like the InGen security team used to do and he was heavily armed with what she knew to be mostly anaesthetizing weapons – she had read the reports. He looked like a soldier – or a Navy officer, whatever – and it took her aback. Barry was standing right behind Owen's shoulder but even though he was wearing the same thing, he looked like the Barry she remembered : easy smile, gentle eyes… Owen looked hard.

"Ms Dearing." he nodded at her coldly when he spotted her. It was professional if a bit icy.

Lowery's eyebrows shot up and he looked from her to Owen before making a questioning gesture in Barry's direction. Barry rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Mr Grady!" Andrew exclaimed. "It's such an honor!"

Owen seemed stunned by that and he shook the kid's hand, his stern composure sliding off him like water.

"Owen." she said at last.

There were a thousand things attached to his name and none of them sounded as professional as his own greeting. It was pained, pleading and a little desperate. And just like that, it all came back. The terror, the certainty they were going to die, the fear Zach and Gray wouldn't make it, the loud roar of the T-Rex right behind her…

She didn't see him move but in a second he was in front of her, a hand on her arm to prevent a fall. She grabbed his elbow, held on for dear life, met his eyes and remained stuck there.

"Hey, I'm all for you two making doe eyes at each other but can we do it where prehistoric birds can't eat us?" Lowery joked.

She blinked, noticed everyone was either staring or awkwardly shuffling their feet and cleared her throat, letting go of his arm. "How many pteranodons and dimorphodons are still at large?"

"Hard to say." Owen shrugged. "We shot down a good dozen on the island and there are patrols at sea to defend Costa Rica's shores but we can't be sure we got them all."

"Have you fed the Mosasaurus?" she asked.

It was Masrani Global's prime concern. Every other dinosaurs would have been able to feed themselves either through hunting or the surrounding greenery but the Mosasaurus was entirely dependent on humans. It was resilient though.

"Barry's in charge of that." he told her, heading inside, not waiting to see if she followed. She quickened her steps to keep up. "We're going to need trainers if you're serious about recapturing assets though."

"Assets?" she frowned. "Since when do you call them assets?"

"Things change." he retorted. "Main street is as secured as it's ever going to be for now. I've got people at the gates but assets stay clear of that part of the park anyway. We've set camp at the Hilton, I want everyone in the same place, so you can chose your rooms but try to stay clear of the upper floors, I'm still concerned about the pteranodons and dimorphodons."

"Owen…" she tried again.

"Some of the babies from the petting zoo made it but they're not in good shape. I really need you to get me trainers and vets asap. You have teams on standby for that right? We can debrief that later." he continued. "I need…"

He rattled out a list and she was vaguely aware that Andrew was helpfully taking notes, asking him to slow down or occasionally repeat. Claire was too shocked to say anything. She wasn't _that_ surprised that he was so efficient, he _was_ an alpha after all, and a former Navy officer, he was _made_ to be in charge, but she wasn't used to him being so detached while he did his job. That sounded like something _she_ would do and Owen was anything but the corporate drone he had so often accused her to be.

He left them in the control room where Lowery immediately went to work. After taking a closer look at some areas of the park and cross-referencing with what Owen had asked for, she gave Andrew the green light to bring a small construction crew, vets and trainers but made sure to specify she wanted two InGen security members for one civilian. She wouldn't face another disaster like the last if she could help it. It took hours but once she was done there, she left Lowery to his managing of the system and went to her office.

The office was on the last floor, it overlooked Main Street and most the surrounding attractions. She could see the aquatic park and the empty T-Rex Kingdom… One of the window was shattered but it was otherwise intact. Her laptop was where she had left it alongside files, a half empty starbucks cup, and a post-it reminding her that her nephews would be visiting. The huge screen on the wall opposite the desk, that she mainly used for conference calls or to check cameras from different areas of the park, was still on although a sky blue. She wondered if it had still been working all this time. She also made a note to tell Andrew she wanted the live feed back.

She stepped closer to the window and scanned the sky for any dark shadows that could announce the arrival of a flock of pteranodons. She could still hear the shrieks as they dove on the crowd, as one of them swooped down on Owen. She could still hear the noise of the riffle. Her hands were shaking and her breathing was quick again, she leaned her forehead against the cold panel of the glass and closed her eyes.

"I told you to stay away from the upper floors."

She startled. Badly.

He was leaning against the wall, hands behind his back, the riffle at his feet and she wondered just how long he had been standing there without her being aware of it.

"Three vets and four trainers will be here tomorrow morning." she replied. She could be professional too. "And I asked for a crew of workers too, to strengthen the paddocks. There will be too many people to use helicopters, your team will have to meet them at the ferry landing."

He didn't look pleased by that. "There are a lot of dinosaurs between here and there. I'm afraid a microceratus herd had taken over the golf course, by the way."

"They're herbivorous. And small." Claire pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm more concerned with the metriacanthosaurus hunting after them." he snorted.

"You should hear yourself saying that." she joked.

They looked at each other for a while. He was waiting she knew, offering her an opportunity to explain herself. She found she didn't have the words.

"If you think it's too risky, I will ask them to use the helicopter." she decided. "It will be costly but safer."

"It's doable but small group of people." he countered. "Tell them to send the vets and the trainers first. We will do the working crew the day after that."

"Okay." she agreed.

And there was silence once again.

It was awkward and uncomfortable and she couldn't take it anymore. It was making her stress even more than the predators roaming outside.

"I woke up and I panicked." she sighed at last. "It was too much. Everything was too much. I needed space and then days turned into weeks and…" She faltered in her explanations for a second, hearing how feeble they sounded. "I thought the space would be good for you too. That you would need it."

"I needed you." he replied softly. "I needed to know you were alright. I needed to _hear_ you say you were alright, not to try to guess by watching you on TV. I was worried sick about you."

"You stopped calling." she accused.

"You never picked up." he scoffed. "Don't put that one on me, Claire. I'm not the one who sneaked away in the middle of the night without even leaving a note."

"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I _am_ really sorry, Owen. I…"

"Yeah, fine." he brushed her off. And why wouldn't he? She had left him stranded on Costa Rica on his own. That wasn't truly the kind of things a 'sorry' would erase. "How are the boys?"

"They are doing better." she offered, taking a few steps away from the window and closer to him. He didn't move one inch but his eyes tracked her and she was strongly reminded of his raptors. "It was difficult in the aftermath but Karen found them a great therapist and they're handling it. Gray still has nightmares but, if anything, he is even more fascinated by dinosaurs and Zach… Zach was very withdrawn for a while but he's getting better now."

She could babble at length about her nephews. Almost losing them had made her realize just how much she loved them.

"And how are _you_?" he asked.

People had stopped asking that question months earlier when most of the victims had moved on. She wasn't losing it on an everyday basis so they seemed to think she was fine. Claire was probably the only one who knew she wasn't coping well – losing herself in one's work was deflecting, not coping, she had read that in one of the many books about trauma she had bought.

"I'm good." she lied. "You?"

He stared at her like he could see right through her lies.

"Probably as good as you." he snorted.

And she finally relaxed.

She hadn't been aware of just how _tensed_ she had been since he had walked in. She had been behaving like a prey under the eyes of a predator but that feeling went away. He might be acting cold and angry but it was Owen and she trusted Owen with her life.

"Not so good then?" she laughed.

"Not so good, no." he answered, his cocky smirk making a brief appearance.

"Have you found Blue?" she asked, knowing that it was probably why he had taken the job in the first place.

"No." he shrugged. "No sightings. It's been six months, raptors are not meant to be without a pack, maybe…" He shrugged again. "Anyway… The others are heading back to the hotel now. That's why I came to get you. I don't want any of you going from building to building without one of my men. We're playing it very safe."

"So you're my personal bodyguard then?" she teased, grabbing her laptop and giving a last look around. The files were of no use to her now and she didn't keep anything personal in her office. She wouldn't have to come back here for a while, she could settle in the control room for now. They wouldn't lack space until a bigger team arrived.

"Tonight only." he said. "They hired me to recapture assets, not escort you around. Besides, I will give you a riffle, we both know you can handle yourself. I'm more concerned about Lowery and your new assistant. What's his deal anyway?"

"He likes dinosaurs and he's probably your number one fan. I didn't chose him." she hummed, pressing the elevator call button. "Why do you call them _assets_ , Owen?"

It wasn't like him. Owen was caring and soft and half in love with those animals. It wasn't just the raptors, she had seen him around the park once or twice, he was in awe of them. He respected them because they were bigger, more powerful, and purer than any human as only an animal could be.

"Because I had to put down dozens of them." he said. "And it's easier to think about them that way."

Her heart broke for him at that moment and she reached out, squeezing his arm. "Easier isn't always better. Trust me, I know."

"Easier is all I can afford right now." he answered. "At the end of the day, I have to deal with this _shit_ alone."

"What about Barry?" she frowned.

"Barry has his own issues." he mumbled.

She squeezed his arm again. "Well, you are not alone anymore."

For a minute, he only looked at her. The elevator chimed but neither of them paid it any attention.

"You said that once before." he pointed out. "The next day you were gone."

"I told you, I…" she sighed.

"Needed space, yeah." he cut her off. "I don't mind you needing space as much as you leaving without telling me or answering my calls. The first two days, I didn't know where you were. I looked _everywhere_ for you. I was scared you had done something stupid like hurt yourself. You could have just have told me to piss off, Claire, I'm a big boy, I could have taken it."

"It wasn't that." she whispered. "I wanted it. You. _Us_. That's why I left. I was scared we were rushing into things, I was scared it was only the trauma talking, I was scared I would never be able to leave your side again if I didn't leave when I did, I… I know it sounds horrible and I know I don't have any excuse but I… Owen, I was _scared_." She shook her head but gripped his arm tighter, afraid he would shrug her off. "I was a mess, I still am. I didn't want you to have to take care of me, it didn't seem fair. I would have been a dead weight and…"

"Maybe I _wanted_ to take of you." he interrupted her again. "Jesus, Claire, you couldn't _talk_ to me about all this instead of running of like a thief in the night? _Two_ _days_. I spent _two_ _fucking days_ thinking you were dead somewhere and then there you were on TV, perfectly fine. I'm not even mad at you for leaving, I'm mad at you for not letting me know you were okay."

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you should be." he retorted.

They had taken too long to step out and the elevator doors were slowly closing again. He placed his arms between them before they could close properly, dislodging her hand in the process.

They walked out in silence and, as they started down Main Street, she tried to chase the day of the attack out of her mind.

"Is this salvageable?" she asked as they were rounding the huge stretch of water where the Mosasaurus lived. She stayed very far from the edge even with all the security barriers in place.

"It's going to cost a lot of money." Owen scoffed, his eyes on a half-destroyed stuffed toys stand. "They should have just left the island alone."

"I meant us." she clarified nervously.

He lifted his eyebrows and looked at her. "Us as in you and me and our awesome traumas or us as in you and me and our spectacular failures at a romantic relationship?"

He had a point, she figured. Perhaps there was something like trying too hard. The first date was a disaster – although he shouldered more than half the responsibilities on that one – and any attempts at building something real had been shot down by her untimely escape.

But when he was looking at her like that, it still made her skin tingle. She stopped walking, forcing him to stop too.

"I want to try." she insisted firmly, sounding more like Claire Dearing the businesswoman and less like a woman trying to convince a man to go out with her. He remained silent, guarded and it unnerved her. "Don't you want me anymore?"

The attraction, despite her claims, had been there from the very start and she still felt it. When he was in the same room as her there was a prickle at the base of her neck, when his eyes were staring at her she felt a chill down her spine, when he touched her accidentally or not her stomach was full of butterflies…

He chuckled but it was bitter. He ran a hand through his hair and she took a step closer, invading his space, claiming his attention back. He sighed and cupped her cheek, his thumb running slowly over her freckles…

"Of course I want you, Claire." His voice was rough with desire and she felt a thrill. Suddenly, all she wanted was to push him on the next available flat surface. His next words shattered the fantasy though. "But I'm not sure I trust you." He looked away, his jaw clenched. "I'm not trying to… This isn't payback, okay? It's just… I can't afford to let someone close if it's just to lose them again. I can't lose anyone else."

She coiled her fingers around his, holding his hand to her cheek, and pressed a kiss on the inside of his wrist. "Let me gain back your trust. I won't run away again, I promise. We can be friends first. I will even drink tequila if that's what it takes."

He laughed softly and looked back at her. She kissed his wrist again without breaking eye contact.

"Can I wear board shorts?" he smirked after a few seconds.

"Absolutely not." she refused, wrinkling her nose.

"Figures." he snorted but let go of her cheek to grab her hand. "Come on, let's go."

He didn't let go of her hand as they headed to the Hilton again.

She thought it was a good first step.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you for all your messages! I'm happy so many of you liked it so much! Like I said in my first AN, this is more of a bonus scene and I feel it's slightly less good but… Well. Here it is._

 _Just as a precision, I'm not a native speaker so I'm sorry if there were mistakes in the first chapter (or in this one), I did my best but it was long and I proofread it by myself. I know it's not really an excuse but there are ways to say this kind of things without sounding too much of a douche you know. Just saying. (it was only one review but that one review ruffled my feather the wrong way because that kind of messages put in that way only makes me want to stick to my own language XD sorry for that small rant)._

" _It's been a month and a half!"_ Karen's exasperated sigh echoed in her earpiece. _"You're going back to acting just like before!"_

"That's not true." Claire denied, taping on the control board of the treadmill to increase the speed. One good thing of having limited staff around was that the Hilton's gym was more or less always deserted.

" _The boys miss you."_ Karen said. " _I miss you_."

"I spoke to Gray yesterday and I called Zach this morning." Claire argued. "I can't come back right now."

" _It's been a month and a half._ " Karen repeated. " _Can't you take a week-end?"_

"Actually… I am. Taking my week-ends, that is." she hummed. "I just can't leave the island."

They had made a lot of progress in those few weeks. Most of the paddocks were back to being operational, now it was a matter of putting the dinosaurs back to where they belonged. Owen's team was good at that though and even if, to some of their investors, it looked like it was taking forever they were making progress. For one thing, they had managed to drive the microcetarus and the metriacanthosaurus back to the cretaceous cruise area. That was one carnivorous specie left on the loose and the golf course back. She counted her victories where she could. The real danger, the T-Rex, was still at large – and so were Blue, some Barionyxes and herds of various herbivorous that, if feeling threatened, could be just as dangerous as their carnivorous counterparts. _But_ they had made progress and they were fairly confident the pteranodons and dimorphodons problem was over.

" _Why not?"_ Karen sighed. " _I'm sure the whole damned thing won't collapse because you go away for a couple of days. And if it does, good riddance."_

"Well…" Claire hesitated. "I am sort of seeing someone."

She could hear Karen's frown all the way through the phone. " _Sort of? How can you_ sort of _seeing someone?"_

"I _am_ seeing someone." Claire corrected herself. "We're just… taking it slow."

Slow was a way to put it. A snail pace would be another. Between the fact that they barely could catch a moment to breathe between the two of them, there was hardly a suitable place to go on the island for a date that wasn't either dangerous or crowded with staff. As a consequence, they spent most of their free time in one of their rooms, watching stupid movies on TV, eating junk food and bonding. They kissed and had make-out sessions, sometimes they shared a bed but nothing had happened despite the fact that Claire was more than ready to go to the next level. Owen wasn't. It wasn't that he took sex more seriously than she did, she thought, it was more than if he had sex with her, it would make their relationship real. She guessed. She hadn't asked. Having the "why aren't we fucking like rabbits" talk with her boyfriend wasn't something she felt ready for.

Other than that part, they were doing great. She couldn't say she had ever dated someone like him but she was in way over her head. He made her feel safe which wasn't something she was taking for granted since the I-Rex fiasco. He made corny jokes that sometimes made her frown but he was attentive and caring and she could never stay mad even when he made fun of her – mainly because unlike most of her past boyfriends, he was actually _teasing_ instead of _criticizing_. She had never been the cuddly type but with him, she was happy to lie on his chest for hours doing nothing more than breathe his smell in and kiss all the skin she could reach. They were slowly learning how to rely on each other be it for their panic attacks or everything else. It was actually close to perfect.

Except that she was horny and frustrated and that running an hour a day on a treadmill was doing nothing against that.

" _Well, okay. Bring him."_ her sister retorted.

"I can't." she sighed. "If I leave, Owen has to be on the island. One of us has to stay to supervise."

" _Owen?"_ Karen almost purred the name. _"I-ride-my-bike-with-raptors-Owen? He-s-not-my-boyfriend-Owen?"_

"He wasn't at the time." she grumbled.

Her nephews had a strong case of hero worship. Owen had come up in conversations more times than she could count and, in the beginning, Karen had brought him up during every call, eager to hear more about her "boyfriend".

She heard the tell-tale clicking of fingers on a keyboard.

"Are you looking him up online?" she accused.

" _Yummy_." Karen declared. _"Tell me everything_. _Every saucy detail. Is he good in bed?_ "

"Karen!" she gasped.

" _What? I've been divorced for five months and my sex life was a desert long before that."_ her sister retorted. " _I'm starved. Let me live through you."_

She increased the speed of the treadmill again even though she was starting to get breathless. "Nothing happened yet."

" _Oh."_ Karen's voice was clearly disappointed. _"How long have you been together?"_

"A month and a half." Claire cringed.

There was a long, long silence and with a resigned sigh, she turned off the treadmill, dab at her face with a towel and tugged on the sports short that kept inching up to the point it barely covered anything she wanted covered. Her top was drenched in sweat and she took a long swallow of water before starting to stretch.

" _When you say a month and a half… You mean you've been dating for a months and half? How many dates in all? Because…"_ Karen was obviously trying to be tactful but the mistrust was there all the same. _"I mean… Does he have a problem or…"_

"I left him in Costa Rica in the middle of the night _after_ promising him we would built something and now he has trust issues." Claire admitted. "And I don't want to push."

" _Ah, yeah, that's understandable."_ her sister agreed. _"You left him in Costa Rica?"_

"In the middle of the night. While he was sleeping." she confessed. In for a penny… "I got scared, alright? It felt so serious and… I don't know. I got scared."

" _Typical Claire."_ Karen laughed.

"It's not funny." she growled. "Have you _seen_ him? You're not the only one who's starved, Karen."

" _Yeah, I bet_ …" her sister sighed.

She only hoped she wasn't daydreaming about Owen. Owen was _hers_ to daydream about.

"I just…" she started only to be interrupted by Andrew running through the gym's doors, out of breath and a horrified look on his face. "Karen, I have to go." She hung up and tore the earpiece away. "What is it, Andrew?"

"T-Rex…" Andrew panted. "Caught… Team… Apatosaurus…"

It didn't take much more than that before she was running. She ran straight out of the hotel and up Main Street to the control room. Her chest was burning when she arrived but Lowery didn't even glance at her.

"Status." she ordered, coming to stand right behind him.

The screens were displaying different feeds from different people on the security team and she instinctively looked until she found Owen's. His heartbeat was strong if a little quick and the knowledge that he was alive helped her control her own breathing.

"They were herding the Apatosaurus back to the gyrosphere course when Rexie arrived." Lowery explained, drumming on his keyboard so the main screen displayed a view of the field where the T-Rex was busy feeding of a dead dinosaur. "She didn't see them. Owen says it's as good a time as ever to try and get her back into her paddock."

"What?" she asked. "No! It's too dangerous. Let me talk to him." He wordlessly handed her a Bluetooth earpiece. "Owen, do you hear me? I want you to get away from there."

" _Dammit, Lowery, I told you not to get her."_ Owen grumbled.

"Hey, she's the boss." Lowery scoffed. "And she's scarier than you."

"I want you to get out of here." she repeated. "I didn't authorize this. I…"

" _Claire, there will never be a perfect time."_ he cut her off. " _We have enough tranquilizers, she's feeding, she's not paying any attention to us. It's a good gambit."_

"I don't want _gambits_." she hissed. "I forbid you to try, do you hear me? It's too dangerous."

" _I'm in charge of the dinosaurs capture."_ he pointed out.

"And I'm in charge of you." she retorted.

" _Look, Claire, if you want to reopen the park at some point, we have to get Rexie back in her paddock."_ he sighed. _"I'm telling you. We can do this but we're losing time arguing."_

"It's too dangerous." she begged.

" _It will always be dangerous."_ She could see his camera moving as he inched closer to the huge dinosaur, signaling at his team to move with him.

"Owen." she insisted.

" _Claire, you have to trust me."_ he demanded. _"You know I wouldn't do it if I thought it was too dangerous. I've got people out there, I'm not alone. I wouldn't risk their lives. You're the one always saying we have to be professional. I need you to be professional right now. Call for another security team and start organizing transport."_

She didn't like being berated in front of everyone. All the more so when he was right.

She gave the calls and then put Andrew in charge of doing the rest when he finally reappeared. She kept her eyes on the screen as Owen's team surrounded the T-Rex and, on his signal, started shooting the anaesthetizing darts. The T-Rex roared and thrashed almost stomping on Owen, trying to bite at the tiny humans… It took almost a full minute for the anesthetics to work. It took a full minute for the T-Rex to start wobbling on her feet and then Owen shouted at everyone to run before she fell and crushed them.

Claire held her breath the whole time.

There was no time to start breathing again once the T-Rex was down. Nobody knew how long she would stay knocked out for and _naturally_ Owen volunteered to ride with her. She barely even glared when Lowery finally muttered a mocking "Nice outfit, Claire.". She didn't have time to go change, she didn't want to risk missing something important so she headed to the T-Rex paddock and waited impatiently for them to arrive.

If any member of the security team was amused by her sport shorts, sweaty tank top and disheveled hair, they didn't show it. Then again, maybe the glaring didn't encourage it. Because she glared, she very much _glared_ when Owen finally appeared, his shirt torn at the shoulder but looking otherwise unhurt.

"You." she hissed, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"Everything went fine." he said, lifting his hands in a defensive gesture. "Claire, I'm fine."

"My office. _Now_." It was almost a growl. She grabbed his shirt and dragged him after her, leaving him no choice but to follow.

"Claire…" he tried to pacify her. She didn't listen. She shoved in the elevator without any remorse. "Claire…"

She pressed the last floor button and then pinned him to the wall. The kiss was forceful, brutal and dirty. He was surprised at first, she could tell because he didn't respond at once, but then… Then it was her turn to be pinned to the wall and there was nothing nice about it. He lifted her up and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist but then the elevator chimed and he stopped.

" _Claire_." he sighed against her lips and it sounded like a prayer and a curse all rolled into one.

"You're going to carry me to the couch in my office and we're going to have sex." she stated. "No discussion."

"Bossy." he snorted. "Are you sure?"

She frowned. "What do you mean am I sure?"

"I mean are you _sure_?" He rolled his eyes. "You ran away once because you were scared it got too serious, I'm not about to make the same mistake twice… I don't want you to feel you have to or…"

"Owen, if you don't shut up and fuck me I may very well kill you." she spat. " _Idiot_."

He pounced on her.

She laughed.

 _ **The End**_


End file.
